What does a Hostess Twinkie look like after three decades?

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Legend says Twinkies can survive the end of the world. Now that Hostess is about to shut down and the Twinkie may be going goodbye, it begs the question – just how long will that cream-filled treat in your pantry be edible?

This photo from a Maine science teacher shows what happens to a Twinkie after a few decades.

A 2004 AP story discusses Roger Bennatti, a retired teacher at George Stevens Academy, who kept a Twinkie to test its shelf life.

"It's rather brittle, but if you dusted it off, it's probably still edible," Bennatti said in 2004. "It never spoiled."

Bennatti put the Twinkie in a glass case and gave it to former student Libbey Rosemeier, dean of students at George Stevens, who displays it in her office, according to WCVB in Boston .

Would you eat the 36-year-old Twinkie? Let us know in the comment box below.

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.